Royal Navy: Mine-hunting "mother ship" HMS Stirling Castle brought into fleet to tackle "dangerous world"
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A sophisticated mine hunting vessel that can be a mother ship for autonomous boats have been brought into the Royal Navy.
RFA Stirling Castle has been transferred to the military fleet and will now be known as HMS Stirling Castle. The 6,000 tonne vessel will call HMNB Portsmouth her home and prepared for frontline operations.
Commanding Officer Commander Phil Harper said: “This is the first time in living memory that Royal Navy personnel have taken over a ship from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). I want to recognise the amazing work that the RFA have done in bringing this ship into service and preparing her for handover, and to thank them for the great head start we have been given in delivering Stirling Castle into service as a warship.
“We will soon be launching and recovering autonomous mine-hunting vehicles from this ship, keeping the seas safe for UK and allied warships and merchant sailors alike in an increasingly dangerous world.”
How will the new Royal Navy ship be used?
Formerly known as MV Island Crown, Stirling Castle was purchased for the RFA in 2023. The Royal Navy said this transfer will mean she is 100 per cent committed to front-line operations, while allowing RFA personnel to “focus on their primary task of crewing the array of tankers and support ships across their fleet”.
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A ceremony was held aboard ship yesterday morning (July 21) in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The White Ensign was hoisted on the vessel’s masthead for the first time, with her 45 strong ship’s company of sailors and officers officially moving onboard.
HMS Stirling Castle, complete with blue and white paintwork, will be tasked with carrying high-tech equipment including autonomous surface and underwater vehicles. They will be used to clear unexploded ordinances around the UK. She has already carried out several operations alongside RNMB Apollo.
The force’s focus has been to make mine-hunting operations more effective and safer for sailors. HMS Stirling Castle was originally transformed from a civilian ship at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth. She spent 18 months in the hands of the RFA, supporting the Royal Navy with various missions. Now she’ll be deployed directly alongside mine-hunting vessels and will be part of the Mine & Threat Exploitation Group. The team include experts in operating autonomous technology which assesses and destroys threats under the sea.